No doubt, a life without glasses and contact lenses would be far more convenient. However, correcting your vision comes with a high price and much deliberation. In order to make an informed decision, consumers must be aware of the financial and physical consequences of undergoing laser eye surgery. If you are squeamish, you may want to scroll elsewhere!

Types of laser treatment

LASIK

LASIK is the most common type of laser eye surgery. It is estimated that 31 million people have undergone this surgery worldwide. During LASIK surgery, a surgeon uses a mechanical blade to cut the cornea, creating a flap of tissue. The surface underneath is sculpted with a laser and the flap replaced. The procedure is performed with anaesthetic eye drops to prevent pain. The surgery takes fifteen minutes, causes minimal discomfort and the patient recovers quickly. Most patients are able to return to work after 48 hours.

LASEK

LASEK surgery is mostly used for people with thin corneas. During LASEK treatment, an ultra thin layer of the cornea is gently peeled back by the surgeon using a fine blade and alcohol solution. A laser is applied to the surface area of the cornea. After surgery, the  surface layer is replaced and held in place by a special soft contact lens while the eye heals. The procedure is again performed with anaesthetic eye drops to prevent pain. However, the patient will take longer to recover after LASEK surgery than LASIK surgery.

Wavefront

Wavefront is designed to treat the specific shape of a person’s eye. It is a tailored made treatment which corrects the most minor of flaws. The cost is reflective of the more specialised procedure. Wavefront is more expensive than standard LASIK and LASEK treatments.

Success rate

The success rate of laser eye surgery differs. Some patients may have vision as good as they did when wearing glasses. Others will still need to wear glasses for certain purposes, for example reading or driving. Generally, the higher your prescription is, the less likely you are to achieve perfect vision.

Risks

As with any major surgery, there are risks involved. With laser eye surgery, the biggest risks are infection, reduced quality or loss of vision, under or over-correction, dry eye and night glare. The numbers of unsuccessful cases are very low. Nevertheless, it is important that you consider all possible outcomes. Only approach a reputable clinic.

Ask questions

You must trust your surgeon. Before proceeding with any treatment, ask your surgeon the following questions…

Are you registered with the Irish Medical Council?

How many procedures have you carried out?

What is your success rate?

What are the potential risks or complications?

What is the estimated recovery period?

What aftercare service do you provide?

What does the qouoted cost include?

Uncover any hidden costs. Don’t hold your tongue, only to regret it later.

Cost

Laser eye surgery is a private healthcare expense, therefore you will need to personally finance any treatment received. However, there are ways to significantly reduce the cost. Immediate discounts include the 20% tax deductible by the Revenue Commissioners and a further 15% by health insurance operators such as VHI, Quinn and Hibernian.

As always, make to shop around. Even with a service as specific as laser eye surgery, prices can vary. In order to secure the best deal, sign up to newsletters produced by various laser eye surgery providers. Newsletters act as value alerts, drawing your attention to the best deal possible.

Optical Express

• Clinics in Cork, Dublin and Kildare

• Free consultation

• Lifetime aftercare

• €595 per eye for LASEK

• €595 per eye for LASEK

• €1,200 per eye for Wavefront

(Prices vary according to prescription)

Optilase

• One clinic in Ely Place, Dublin 2

• Free consultation

• €995 per eye for LASEK

• €995 per eye for LASIK

• €1,795 per eye for LASEK Wavefront

• €1,795 per eye for LASIK Wavefront

Ultralase

• Clinics in Belfast, Dublin, Waterford, Cork and Limerick

• Free consultation

• Life long aftercare

• Various payment plans, including 12 interest free credit

• €1,295 per eye for LASEK

• €1,745 per eye for LASIK

• €1,775 per eye for LASEK Wavefront

• €2,175 per eye for LASIK Wavefront

Wellington Eye Clinic

• One clinic in Sandyford, Dublin 18

• 12 month post-operative visits and check-ups

• Lifetime guarantee

• €2,050 per eye for LASEK Wavefront

• €2,050 per eye for LASIK Wavefront

• €2,200 per eye for customised surgery

Blackrock Clinic

• One clinic in Blackrock, Dublin 4

• 24 hour, seven day a week back up

• Blade free surgery

• €2,200 per eye for customised, Wavefront Intralase

It may be cheaper to go abroad but availing of after care will obviously be more difficult. You must consider all possible expenses, pre and post surgery. If you are looking for real value for money, do not solely select your clinic based on price. When it comes to your health, professionalism and care are also huge factors.

Laser eye surgery is very a personal choice. One might argue that your eyesight is a precious gift that you shouldn’t risk altering. However, that same person probably doesn’t spend every morning scrambling for glasses or searching the bathroom tiles for a slippery contact lens. If you do decide to undertake laser eye surgery, ensure you are fully aware of your options and the associated risks. Before you regain 20/20 vision, you need to balance your perspective.

*Prices quoted were correct as of 02-02-2010

Tags: health tips

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 3:48 pm and is filed under Health and Beauty, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.